


Quality Time

by carolyncaves



Series: Love Languages [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Ballroom Dancing, BrOT4, Fishing, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hanging Out, POV Noctis Lucis Caelum, Road trip cuteness, Shopping, Subtext, gratuitous affection, only the briefest bits of angst, seriously just gentle fun activities, this one is all fun and games honestly, vignettes i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-05-13 20:00:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14755367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolyncaves/pseuds/carolyncaves
Summary: 3+1: There's a lot going on in their lives. Still, Noctis makes an effort to spend time with each of his friends doing things they enjoy.Actually, Ignis was leaning against the cook stationnotdoing the dishes. He was just standing there with his eyes closed. Then he stood up straighter and picked up a dirty bowl.Noctis looked back at his phone. He was three-quarters of the way through a raid. He quit the game anyway. He scrolled through his apps. Hopefully he hadn't uninstalled the radio. He didn't use it much.





	1. Ignis

**Author's Note:**

> Part 4 of my series based vaguely on the 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Because time is Noctis' most precious commodity. Can be read independently, only small references to previous installments.
> 
> No beta, we die like writers :)

Noctis blinked his eyes open reluctantly. It was dark, so it must have been the middle of the night - if the sun was even threatening to rise, he would have been able to see the light through the fabric of the tent. If it was the middle of the night, why was he awake?

"Go back to sleep," Ignis whispered.

Ignis was sitting up beside him. His hair was all askew and his glasses were off and he looked like he had his arms wrapped around himself. He'd probably had a nightmare.

That's probably why Noctis was awake.

He could hear Prompto's soft snores and Gladio's long, smooth breathing. It was just him and Ignis.

Like hell he was just going to go back to sleep.

Noctis dragged himself up. Their bags and their bedding were dark lumps around them in the faint blue light of tent. The air outside his sleeping bag was cold, so he pulled a blanket around his arms. "'Sup."

"It's all right," Ignis said. "You should lie back down."

Noctis ignored him. He scooted over until his arm was touching Ignis'. He could feel Ignis shaking through the blanket. "It was a bad one, huh?"

"Nothing I can't handle. I'm well used to them by now." But Ignis turned into him, drawn to his human presence like a moth to light.

Noctis had a little experience with bad dreams. Some of it more recent than he’d like. Waking up and figuring out it wasn't real didn't magically make everything all right. The panic, the fear … they lingered.

He lay his head on Ignis' shoulder. "You know you can tell me about it if you want."

"I'd prefer not to dwell on it." Ignis' arms came up around him like he knew they would. Ignis pressed his mouth to the top of Noctis' head.

"Did it have me in it?"

"Yes," Ignis murmured into his hair. "The worst ones always do."

Noctis knew he was the source of ninety-nine percent of Ignis' daytime stress, so he always felt kind of bad for causing him problems when he was asleep too. But that was their lives.

"Don't worry, Specs, I'm not going anywhere." Noctis tried and failed to suppress a yawn. "Want me to read you something? Join you for a round of King's Knight?"

"We'll wake the others."

"They'll be fine. We'll be quiet."

"Perhaps ... we could just remain like this. For a moment."

Noctis nodded against the soft fabric of Ignis' pajamas. "S'long as you want."

The sounds of night, chirping bugs and gentle wind, were soothing. And Ignis was warm. Noctis must have kind of drifted off, because all of a sudden Ignis was slowly pulling away. "Thank you, Noct. I hope I haven't stolen too much of your rest."

"It's not stealing if I give it to you." He settled back into his sleeping bag, but when Ignis tried to do the same Noctis snagged his sleeve. He reeled Ignis in like a weak fish. "Sorry I can't stay awake. Just sleep on me."

Ignis made a soft 'mmm' sound that might have been skepticism. But he lay his head right beside Noctis’ shoulder, reached out his arm, and curled a hand over Noctis’ chest - right on top of his heart.

\---------

They were camping in the Vesperpool. Again.

Noctis tried to suppress the urge to yawn. It wasn't as hot as Lestallum, but it was twice as muggy. Even King's Knight wasn't going to keep him awake for much longer. Prompto had shown everyone his photos and was now clicking through them silently for a fifth time. Probably trying some new filter on every single one. Gladio was reading. Ignis was doing the dishes.

Actually, Ignis was leaning against the cook station _not_ doing the dishes. He was just standing there with his eyes closed. Then he stood up straighter and picked up a dirty bowl.

Noctis looked back at his phone. He was three-quarters of the way through a raid. He quit the game anyway. He scrolled through his apps. Hopefully he hadn't uninstalled the radio. He didn't use it much.

He hadn't. He levered himself out of the camp chair, stretching.

"Off to bed?" Ignis asked.

"Not yet," Noctis said. He moseyed over to where Ignis was working. "Take a break for a minute."

Ignis didn't even finish the fork he was holding. He set it down in the wash bin and dried his hands. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah." Noctis jabbed his phone. It buffered for a second, then soft instrumental music filled the air. Mid-tempo. Perfect. "Just wondered if you wanted to dance."

Ignis looked at him with obvious surprise. They hadn't danced since ...

Since. (Since Noctis was practicing for his wedding.)

A smile eventually found its way to Ignis' eyes. "Certainly, if you're feeling up for it."

"Wouldn't have come over here if I wasn't," Noctis said.

Ignis put a hand on Noctis' shoulder, and Noctis put his hand on Ignis' waist. Ignis always let him lead. The rationale was that whenever Noctis had to dance for real, he'd be expected to. Ignis had taught him to dance for the ball they threw on his seventh birthday, and he'd practiced with him for every occasion since.

"Foxtrot?" Ignis suggested.

"Sure." Noctis stepped forward, and there they went. Long-short-short. Just follow the rhythm.

Noctis wasn't a great dancer by any means. He didn't really have Ignis’ grace. But he knew the basics by rote and could keep up with just about any music. Ignis had made sure of that.

"Woah, fellas," Prompto said. "When you're about to bust out the moves, warn a guy." His shutter was clicking furiously.

Apparently there were going to be awkward photos of him dancing to put up with. It was probably worth it. Ignis seemed happy as they glided across the haven, first one way and then the other. It had been a while since they'd done anything together, just the two of them.

Shopping for potions to keep themselves alive and haggling with tipsters over monster bounties didn't count.

The song ended, and Noctis let them drift to a stop. The DJ started jabbering about the background of the next piece or something equally non-musical.

"That was quite enjoyable," Ignis said. "A welcome interlude."

"What, you're quitting on me already?"

Ignis opened his mouth to reply. But the DJ was done and a new piece started. Uptempo. Syncopated. A spark of mischief glimmered in Ignis’ eyes.

"Well, if you wish to continue, we can turn this into a proper lesson."

"Specs ..."

Then Ignis shifted their grip, his other hand came to Noctis’ waist, and he pushed Noctis backwards into a fast quickstep. Noctis almost fell over. He stumbled - definitely not an approved movement - but managed to wrap his feet around how to do backward what he already knew how to do forward. The pace was punishing, but Ignis was smiling. Noctis was too, now that he thought about it.

Gladio laughed from somewhere over in the peanut gallery. "Always knew you'd make a great princess."

Noctis wanted to glare at him, but he kind of had to pay attention. "Can it or dance, big man."

"Is that some kind of challenge? What do you say, Prompto?"

"Umm ... hard pass, dude."

"Yes, leave it to the professionals," Ignis said. He steered Noctis confidently around the campfire, then again, and again, and when the music stopped he deposited Noctis safely back where they'd started. They were both breathing kind of hard. Noctis was pretty sure he had a dopey grin on his face, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

Ignis squeezed his side. "Excellent footwork, Your Majesty. Though there is some room for improvement."

"Well, I was kind of improvising," Noctis said.

"You did so with aplomb," Ignis allowed.

The next piece started. Slow. Three-four time. Noctis saw the recognition on Ignis' face. "Waltz," they said in unison.

They reversed their hold again. Noctis stepped forward with confidence. The waltz was entry-level. He knew it forward and backward.

Well, not literally backward. Luckily, Ignis seemed happy to follow this time.

The music was sedate, so Noctis led them in a small circle between the cook station and the camp chairs. It was ... nice. Personal.

"Thank you," Ignis said, "for thinking of this. I hadn't realized how much I missed it. It's such a small thing."

"Yeah," Noctis said. "I know what you mean. Thanks for doing it."

"Of course. Perhaps we might make it a regular occurrence. If you're amenable."

Noctis smiled. "Yeah, I could be amenable."

They danced closer and closer together. By the time the music wound down and their steps slowed to a stop, Ignis had his arm draped around the back of Noctis' neck. When the DJ started yakking, Noctis let his forehead rest on Ignis' collarbone. He was reluctant to move.

"Ignis. I really couldn't do this without you."

Ignis took their clasped hands and interlaced their fingers. "You honor me, Noctis. It is truly my privilege."

Noctis didn't know what to say to that. He'd never known what to say to stuff like that. So he just tightened his arm around Ignis' back and hoped that was enough.

The next song started. Tango. Noctis lunged for his phone. He didn't want Ignis getting any wild ideas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know anything about ballroom dancing. This is based on Wikipedia.


	2. Gladio

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently we're going back to 9th grade English class for this one.

Noctis hovered at the edge of the firelight while Ignis examined Gladio's face. "How's he look?"

"The swelling seems to have gone down, which is a positive sign. There's still a little redness about his nose and his eyes, but nothing to be alarmed about. I predict he'll be right as rain by morning."

Gladio grimaced. "Stings like a bitch."

"You've already taken a potion, to little effect. I doubt there's anything more we can do but wait."

"Figures." Gladio swiped at his eyes. They'd been watering since a daemon sprayed some kind of poison on his face. It had been a whole big scene. Gladio swearing on his knees, his face blistered and red, his eyes streaming, Noctis warping in to keep the stupid thing off him since he couldn’t see. The potion and a remedy had fixed the worst of it.

"Just try to relax and get some rest," Ignis suggested. He squeezed Gladio's shoulder and went to check on dinner.

Gladio sank back in his camp chair with a soft groan. He was blinking a lot. Like he wanted to close his eyes. His hand hung down beside his chair where his bag was open on the ground. His fingers toyed with the spine of his book.

"Want me to read to you?" Noctis asked.

Gladio squinted at him. "You sure? You'll be coming in right in the middle."

"I don’t really care. It's not like I’m doing this for the plot."

"Hmph. Well, if you're offering, I'm not going to stop you."

Noctis plucked the book out of Gladio's bag. It was a fancy leather-bound volume. _Gone with the Gale_. Classic Lucian literature. "What, no steamy romance tonight?"

"Like I was going to let you read me anything that contained explicit sex scenes. If that's what you were hoping for, I'll let you bow out gracefully."

"Ugh. No. But for the record I would have been willing to take one for the team."

"Kinky," Gladio said. He winked at Noctis - as well as he could while he wiped at the tears leaking from his irritated eyes.

"Spare me." Noctis sat down on the ground in front of Gladio and leaned back against his knees. They were a little bony, but that might keep him from dozing off.

"You gonna be good down there?" Gladio asked. "Don't want you to wimp out on me after three pages."

"Shut up," Noctis said. He cracked the book open on his lap. There was an inscription on the inside cover. Thick black ink. Messy, angular writing. _To Gladiolus. Happy Birthday. Love, Dad._

Clarus Amicitia. His father's shield. His friend's dad. In the panic of those first few days, a lot of things got pushed to the side. And after ... they'd never really talked about it. Noctis touched his fingers to the marks. Maybe he was about to ruin a light-hearted moment. He couldn't help it. "Gladio. I'm really sorry. About your dad."

Gladio didn't respond for so long Noctis started to wonder if he'd actually spoken out loud. Then Gladio cleared his throat. "Right back at you."

Noctis took a deep breath. He'd promised to read. He flipped to Gladio's bookmark, scanned the first line. He opened his mouth. His voice wouldn’t come out. He squeezed his eyes together for a second. He tried again. "As the train-" He lurched to a stop, choked on the words.

Gladio shifted behind him. A huge arm wrapped around Noctis' chest, strong and safe, and Gladio's head hovered over his shoulder. "As the train carried her northward that spring morning ..." Gladio continued in his low rumbling voice. He paused after a few sentences to rub his eyes with his free hand.

"Sorry," Noctis rasped. "I'm supposed to be reading to you."

"Who fucking cares," Gladio said. "We're reading together." Then he launched right back into it.

When they got to the bottom of the page, Noctis turned it. When Gladio had to stop again, Noctis covered the words with his hand.

"I'm okay now," Noctis said, and his voice was steady. "I've got it. Rest your eyes."

"All right." Gladio stood up for a second, there was a scraping noise – he was pushing his chair back – and then Gladio was sitting down on the stone ground behind Noctis.

Noctis began to read, and Gladio pressed his face into his back and wrapped him up tight in his arms and listened.

\---------

"So apparently there's this play," Noctis said. He slid into the seat across from Gladio. They were in Lestallum, at one of the little cafes. Gladio was eating cup noodles. The slurping was pretty obscene.

"What kind of play?" Slurp.

"Like a romance. Star-crossed lovers."

"All right. What about it?"

"I got us two tickets," Noctis said, laying the slips of paper on the cheesy plastic table.

That earned him a two-second reprieve. Then: slurp. "Sounds like fun." Gladio's scarred face tugged into a smile and Noctis couldn't find it within himself to regret it. Even as Gladio noisily drank the broth out of his cup.

The show was that evening, so Noctis and Gladio headed to the overlook around sunset. The troupe had set up a bunch of folding chairs on the lowest tier, facing out over the gorgeous expanse of Duscae. The sky was orange and pink, and the Disc gleamed golden. It was a smart call. With a backdrop like that, no one would care if the props were cheesy.

Gladio steered them toward the back row.

"I'm not going to be able to see," Noctis complained.

"If I sit in front of anyone, _they're_ not going to be able to see," Gladio said. "Want me to get you a booster seat, Your Majesty?"

"I don't know why I'm nice to you." Noctis sunk onto a chair. The person in front of him was short, so honestly it would probably be fine. If it wasn't, he could stand up without blocking anyone. Not that he wanted to stand the whole time.

Gladio collapsed beside him with a grunt, and his chair responded with a strained groan. Gladio would be lucky if he made it to the end of the play without it collapsing and dumping him on the ground. Noctis smiled a little. At least that would be entertaining.

"Wouldn't have guessed a romance would be your speed," Gladio said. "What brought this on?"

"I mean, it's your speed, isn't it? I saw the poster and figured you'd be into it."

"You were right. I haven't been to a play since ..."

Yeah. Since.

Gladio didn't go there. He just elbowed him. Gently, for once. "Thanks, Noct."

"Shut up, they're starting."

The actors were good, and the story was surprisingly interesting. Fancy balls and blood feuds and ... okay, the couple was adorable. Their love transcended the hatred and bloodshed around them. It was compelling.

Then, about an hour in, things took a turn. Fifteen minutes later one of the lovers was fake-dead, but the other lover didn't know about the fake part so they _plunged a knife into their own heart in grief_.

"Holy hell," Gladio said. "You didn't tell me this was a tragedy."

Noctis slumped back in his seat. "They were kissing on the poster."

"Did you _read_ the poster?"

"Obviously not!"

A couple of sad monologues later, it was over. The audience held their breath in stunned silence. Then everyone burst into applause. Noctis was on his feet with them. Gladio was, too. The actors took their bows.

Noctis snuck a glance up at Gladio. Tears were shining on his face. “Dude.”

"I'm not crying,” Gladio said wetly. “You're crying.”

"I can literally see that you're crying."

"Like you can talk."

Noctis was maybe definitely also crying, so he let it go.

As the crowd dispersed, they started making their way back to the hotel. Everyone was chattering excitedly with their companions about the play. Noctis was looking forward to climbing into bed. He was kind of _feeling_ a lot. He needed to, like, lie down and recover or something.

Gladio probably did too. Which wasn’t what he’d been going for. "Uh, sorry,” Noctis said. “About the bait and switch. I didn’t mean for it to be depressing.”

"I liked it. It was poignant. Poetic. Moving.” Gladio grimaced. “Even if the end was pretty rough."

“Uh, tell me about it.”

They walked into the Leville side by side, trading the warm glow of the streetlights for the lobby. Two flights of stairs up to their room. Home sweet home.

Prompto was asleep diagonally across one of the beds. He was drooling on the comforter. Ignis was just serving dinner. "Did you two enjoy the play?"

“I don’t even know how to answer that question,” Noctis said.

He and Gladio exchanged a long look. They laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was me after getting back from the theater after seeing _that one movie_.


	3. Prompto

"But seriously, suspenders? You know he does it to look all old. Like maybe if he wears enough grandpa accessories, people will forget he's only twenty-two."

Prompto snorted, almost choking on his energy drink. "Dude, you're totally right. It works, though."

"Yeah, it does," Noctis admitted.

And to be fair, Ignis was probably off somewhere doing real work while Noctis was bumming around the streets of Lestallum gossiping about him with Prompto.

Prompto paused. They were in front of a secondhand clothes shop with a couple of displays out in the street, a little crooked on the uneven cobblestones. Maybe something had caught his eye. But Prompto’s head snapped forward and he skipped to catch back up with Noctis.

Prompto liked shopping, and he was always kind of embarrassed about acting like it. Maybe something to do with him losing weight but still feeling like it was weird to be happy with his body. Noctis didn't really know.

He stopped. "Speaking of accessories ..." They were in front of a display of bracelets and arm bands. He tapped one. "Might suit you."

"Might suit _you_ , you mean." Prompto dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Join me, Noctis."

"Dude. Taking them off every night, putting them on every morning? Too much work." He peered through the window at the rows of clothes racks inside. "Half my shirts have been shredded by daemons. Maybe we should look around."

Prompto beamed at him, which always made Noctis feel like he'd done at least one thing right in his life. "Couldn't agree more." Prompto drained the last of his energy drink, tossed the can into a recycling bin, and floated into the little shop. Noctis followed him.

It was bright from the sunlight spilling thought the windows and stuffy from the heat. Just like everywhere else in Lestallum. Prompto started combing through one of the racks. "They have some wild stuff in here. No way." He yanked out a black t-shirt with a slightly-lighter-black design on one side. "How did they get into your closet, Noct?"

"Shut up." Noctis grabbed the shirt and draped it over his shoulder. It was perfect, he was totally getting it. "What about this?" He held up a pale grey tank top. It was sprinkled with tiny yellow chocobos.

"It's like whoever made this knew me." Prompto took it reverently out of Noctis' hands and held it tight to his chest.

They went up and down the cramped aisles until they each had an armful of clothes. Then the clerk waved them back into the dressing room.

"Try this one," Noctis said, tossing a shirt over the divider between them.

"Ugh, sleeves. Like I would ever want to hide these babies." There was a smooching noise, and Noctis knew Prompto had just kissed his bicep. Something flew down onto his head. "You have got to try this one, though."

"It's _yellow_."

"'Got to' as in mandatory."

Noctis pulled the tank over his head and looked askance at the mirror. It read 'SUN'S OUT GUNS OUT'. The two 'O's had been replaced with cartoon suns wearing sunglasses. "I hate you," he proclaimed.

Prompto's dressing room door opened. "Dude, show me."

"No!"

"Pleeeeease?"

How dare Prompto use his secret weapon against him. Noctis stepped out of his cubicle.

Prompto's eyes raked him up and down. "Oh my gosh, Noct. I think I might actually cry."

"Prompto, why are your hands behind your-"

Click.

"Prompto, _delete that picture_!"

Noctis lost that battle, but they both came out of the changing rooms with a handful of items they actually wanted to purchase. The hateful yellow tank top had made its way into Prompto's to-buy pile. Noctis allowed it. Grudgingly. He was halfway to the register when Prompto called out behind him.

"Noct, buddy ... look at this." Prompto was holding a set of pink and blue pastel plaid suspenders. "For Iggy?"

Noctis pictured Ignis' face when he saw them. When he realized they'd spent hard-earned gil on them. He grinned. "Definitely."

\---------

Dinner smelled amazing. Which made sense. Ignis was the one cooking it. Noctis' stomach growled. He wished he could go to sleep until it was ready.

But Prompto was leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed and his arms crossed and a small crease between his eyes. He got knocked down in a fight with a pack of garulas earlier and he'd been quiet ever since. It didn't suit him.

They'd already looked through Prompto's photos and had their asses handed to them in King's Knight. Gladio was chatting with Ignis while he cooked, and they needed him in the party to take out the next boss. Prompto was still ruminating. Noctis was going to have to get creative.

"Hey," he said.

Prompto's eyes flew open. A broad smile appeared on his face. "Hey, buddy. What's shakin'?"

One of Noctis' least favorite things was how good Prompto was at pretending to be happy.

"When was the last time we had a sleepover?" Noctis asked.

"I mean, we sleep six inches apart every night.”

"Not really the same thing, is it?"

"Huh." Prompto laced his fingers behind his head, elbows wide on either side. "I dunno. I guess not since ..."

One of Noctis’ other least favorite things was how for the rest of their lives everything would always be _since_.

"Yeah. So do you want to have one tonight?"

Prompto squinted at him for a second, like he couldn't figure out what Noctis meant. Then he cast a glance over his shoulder at Ignis and Gladio, looked back to Noctis, and real smile spread across his face. "Yes and yes." He sprung out of his chair.

"Great." Noctis levered himself up. "Where should we start?"

"Snack raid."

"Good call." Noctis made for Ignis' box of food, the one he called his pantry. It was sitting on the bottom shelf of the cook station. Noctis got down on his knees. At first glance it looked like 95% vegetables, but Ignis had to have _something_ snack-like in there they could steal.

Of course, he caught Ignis' attention. "Dinner will be ready in about half an hour, Noct, if you can wait that long. You wouldn’t want to ruin your appetite."

"We're looking for snacks for a sleepover," Prompto said. "Don't worry, it won't interfere with us eating your amazing soup."

"A sleepover?" Gladio said. "Are you serious?"

"Completely," Noctis said. There, hidden under a bundle of radishes - ugh - was a bag of popcorn. It was kind of small, but it would have to do. He got to his feet and made for the tent.

"We're going to make a blanket fort," Prompto announced cheerily. "No adults allowed."

"You realize that you are both adults," Ignis said.

"And that one of you is a sworn member of the Crownsguard," Gladio said, glowering at Prompto.

"And that we sleep in a fabric tent most nights," Ignis continued.

"And that _we_ ," Gladio said, gesturing to indicate himself and Ignis, "are gonna sleep in that same tent with you tonight as usual."

"Sure," Noctis said. "You just can't come over to the sleepover side."

That put Prompto into a fit of giggles, which in turn made Noctis laugh. Gladio turned to roll his eyes at Ignis, but Noctis didn't really care. He followed Prompto into the tent.

"Hmm," Prompto said, arms akimbo as he surveyed the scene. "We talked a good game, buddy, but I dunno. We don’t really have a lot to work with. No chairs to drape the blankets over."

"There's the lantern hooks," Noctis suggested.

"Huh," Prompto said. "That has potential."

In the end, they managed to hang a blanket haphazardly across the tent to demarcate the sleepover and non-sleepover zones. That took up both lantern hooks and their overnight bags to hold the edges in place. They claimed the slightly smaller half of the tent, a concession to the others, but took the lion's share of the spare blankets in return. These they combined with their unzipped sleeping bags to make a squishy nest.

Prompto gazed at the nest proudly. "Sweet. Now what?"

"Pajamas. Duh."

"You're so right."

Noctis was done changing first. One of his best talents was getting ready for bed. He collapsed onto the blankets and let his head sink into the soft pile. "Dude, we should have done all our sleepovers like this."

"Better late than never," Prompto said. He crawled over and settled his head down on Noctis' stomach. "You're so right, though. It's like lying on a pile of clouds."

"Yeah." Noctis fought back a yawn. "Now what?"

"Hmm. Truth or dare?"

"Ugh. No dares. No moving. What about never-have-I-ever?"

Prompto laughed. "No way. You already know all my nevers and my evers. It'd be too easy."

Suddenly there was a lump in Noctis' throat. He swallowed it and looked up at the ceiling of the tent.

Prompto kind of frowned. He'd misunderstood him. "But I mean, if you really wanted to play ..."

"Prompto." Noctis reached down for his hand, but he found the cuff of his sleeve and tugged on that instead. "Do you know how important you are? To me? How glad I am that you're here?" There was no way he could. Noctis didn’t say it nearly enough to drown out whatever went on in Prompto’s head.

Prompto's blue eyes stared at him across the plane of Noctis' chest. His hand toyed with Noctis' flannel top. Then his freckled face softened and his mouth turned up just a little at the corners. It seemed real. "You mean on the sleepover side of the tent?"

Noctis huffed. "Yeah. That's exactly what I mean."

Prompto smiled into Noctis' solar plexus. "So let's tell ghost stories, then."

"All right. That works. You first."

"Right." Prompto cleared his throat. "So. On a dark and spooky night, a lot like this one, waaay out in the middle of nowhere ..."

Noctis tried to pay attention. He really did. But when Ignis came to deliver two bowls of soup to sleepoverland, Prompto had to prod him awake.

Noctis guessed that made him kind of lame and boring, but Prompto didn’t seem to mind.


	4. Noctis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how to fish, but welcome to Fishing Simulator 2018.

They were driving, and Noctis was bored. Not the kind of bored where he wanted to get out his phone and play a round of King's Knight. The kind of bored where he felt like his body was about to come apart but he didn't want to do anything but stare at the back of Ignis’ headrest. So that's what he was doing.

It sucked.

Prompto was hanging over the back of his seat. He’d been talking to Gladio, but now he was watching Noctis with a frown. "Hey. You okay?"

"I'm fine." He was. He wasn't hurt or anything.

"Um." Prompto glanced at Gladio. Gladio glanced at Noctis. Gladio and Ignis shared a look in the rear view mirror. Noctis couldn’t handle whatever was going on, so he closed his eyes. Prompto drummed his fingers nervously against the leather seat. "Do you wanna ... do something?"

Yes. No. "I dunno. Like what?" There were only so many things they could do in the moving Regalia.

"Well ... wanna go fishing?"

It was barely noon and they still had to get all the way to the Vesperpool. They didn’t have time to stop so Noctis could fish.

“A splendid idea,” Ignis said. “Do you have a location in mind?”

“Huh?” Noctis looked up. It didn’t seem like Ignis was kidding.

“There’s that pier near the Souvenier Emporium,” Gladio suggested.

“Oh, yeah, perfect,” Prompto said.

"Look," Noctis said, since apparently they were really going through with it. “You guys don’t have to ..."

"Nonsense," Ignis said. "It's already decided.”

"But we have to go kill a bunch of sahagins," Noctis said.

"The sahagins will keep," Ignis said, in that tone of his he used when he wanted people to do what he said.

Noctis felt dull and heavy and not very much like fishing, but he didn't want to argue with them. He leaned his head against the door, closed his eyes, and focused on the wind tugging at his hair.

Almost before he knew it they were pulling off the road. Noctis got out of the car and stretched. The sun was high in the sky and warm on his face. There was a haven right beside the road, and the River Wennath flowed just beyond it. He couldn't see the pier from there, but they'd been here before. It was just around the hill.

Prompto slung an arm over his shoulder, knocking his fist gently against Noctis’ chest. "Ready to catch a big one?"

Noctis made himself smile. For Prompto. "Yeah, for sure."

Prompto's face fell. "I didn't mean to ... uh, you don't ... have to pretend if you don't want to. I was just ..."

"Prompto." Noctis wrapped his arm around Prompto's waist and squeezed. "Thanks for being you."

"I mean, you really shouldn't ... but sure, buddy. That's about all I'm good for."

"Which is a hell of a lot," Gladio said, ruffling Prompto’s hair and receiving an indignant cry in return. "C'mon, princess, let's get you set up."

Warmth rose off the planks of the pier. The water was blue and wide, and the other bank was lush and green. Noctis stepped up to the edge, squared his toes with the border between wood and water. He inhaled the scent of the river. He felt better already. Like he was being unwound, he guessed, in a good way.

"Sorry for needing this,” Noctis said. Because he really had needed this. He just hadn’t been able to articulate it.

Gladio and Prompto were setting out camp chairs and a cooler. Ignis was watching Noctis seriously. "It's perfectly natural to need things, Noct. Attention, relaxation, other people. It's ... human."

"We're not just here to beat up daemons for you,” Gladio added.

Prompto gave him two thumbs up. "Seriously. You should always tell us when you're feeling lame. How else can we, like, cheer you up?" He turned back to his work.

Noctis felt like he’d somehow stepped into an alternate dimension where everything was all right. He just stood there, rooted to the pier by his friends’ kindness.

Ignis had quickly claimed a chair. He had his notepad out. Maybe he was planning dinner, or counting their potions, or making a shopping list, or working on a new recipe. He glanced up and caught Noctis staring. "Well go on then," Ignis said gently.

Noctis smiled. For real that time. He whipped his rod out of the armiger, took aim, and cast.

"And he's off," Prompto said. Noctis could hear the others settling in for the long haul. At that moment he only had eyes for his lure.

The water burbled. Cicadas hummed. His skin tingled in the sun. His friends chatted softly behind him. The lure bobbed slowly. Noctis sank into himself and expanded to contain the rushing river and the warm earth and bright blue sky.

The lure jerked. Noctis jerked back. Showtime.

He gave it an experimental reel and immediately felt tension. Whatever was on the end of his line was heavy. Noctis widened his stance.

"Woah," Prompto said. "He's got a big one."

He’d need patience to bring it in. He relaxed, and reeled, and relaxed. Took two inches, gave one back. The fish lurched to one side. Noctis barely reacted in time to keep it from snapping the line.

"Careful," Ignis warned.

He was close. It was getting tired. He just had to outlast it. Give and take and give again. It was close to the dock. His line vibrated with the strain.

He had it. He lifted it dripping from the water. A huge salmon. It's iridescent scales flashed in the sun.

"Look at that thing," Gladio said. "You caught a real monster."

"Yeah," Noctis said. He turned around and found three cheerful faces. "Guess I know what's for dinner tonight."

"A fish feast," Prompto said longingly.

"Indeed. All thanks to your capable hands, Noct."

Noctis entrusted his catch to Ignis and returned to the end of the pier. He sat down on the splintery wood and let his legs dangle over the flowing water below. Now that he had a big catch under his belt for the session, he didn’t need to give it his full attention. He started replacing his line. That salmon had almost worn it out.

Prompto clomped up the dock - probably scaring the fish away, but who cared - and sat down beside him. He leaned his head on Noctis' shoulder. "It's so nice out here, dude. Too bad we can't just do this all the time."

"Yeah." Usually their daemon-murdering, weapon-hunting obligations got in the way. Noctis cast his new line out into the water. He held the rod loosely in his hands.

"Want a drink?" Gladio asked. "Iggy got this sparkling water stuff last time we were in Lestallum."

"Yes, please," Prompto said.

"Sure."

Gladio's chair creaked as he got up to deliver the cans. They were dripping and ice cold from the cooler. Noctis tucked his rod between his knees - hopefully nothing would bite - to take one. The colorful can had a picture of a grapefruit on it. He snapped it open. The drink bubbled on his tongue, refreshing with just a hint of tart flavor.

"That's really nice," Noctis said. "Good call, Specs."

"I'm glad you like it."

Noctis caught a few more fish (small fry) and Prompto curled up on the dock beside him and fell asleep and Gladio (with Noctis' blessing) started balancing lures and spools of line on him and Ignis (eventually, after much prodding) got Prompto's camera out and took a picture. The click of the shutter had an almost supernatural effect on Prompto, probably thanks to his acute photographer senses. He jerked awake, lures clattering to the pier around him.

"What's happening? Did I miss something?" He picked up a blue chocobo lure, puzzled. "Noct, buddy, why're your fishing thingies all over the ground?"

Noctis was laughing too hard to answer. Gladio grinned. "Don't worry about it. You'll find out later."

Prompto spotted his camera in Ignis' hands. "Aww, man, you guys ..."

Noctis eventually gave up even pretending to fish. As the sun slid lower behind them he claimed one of the chairs and sat back to watch the river. Gladio had gotten out his book. Ignis and Prompto had gotten into it over whether or not pizza was a legitimate way to eat vegetables, and their discussion was growing more heated by the second. Prompto maintained with a completely straight face that tomato sauce counted all by itself, and any veggie toppings on the pizza were just a bonus. Ignis, to put it mildly, disagreed.

"C'mon, Iggy, I swear. From a nutritional standpoint pepperoni pizza is the ideal meal. Bread from the crust, veggies from the sauce, dairy from the cheese, and protein from the pepperoni."

"Prompto Argentum," Ignis said flatly, "you are a culinary degenerate and will be lucky to ever eat anything I cook again."

Prompto burst into laughter, his head tipped back and his bright voice loud and happy and his arms wrapped around himself as if he was trying to contain the joy streaming out of him. A lost cause.

Ignis huffed, a smile creeping across his face. "Really, now."

Noctis turned to sit sideways. He pressed his cheek to the fabric of the chair and looked at them. Prompto, sunshine incarnate. Specs, sharp as his daggers. Gladio, an immovable object. His Crownsguard. His devoted servants. His best friends.

Noctis couldn’t’ve done better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Memorial Day Weekend, the official start of La Croix season.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed! And once again, an extra thank you to everyone who leaves kudos or comments. Y'all make my day. Seriously.
> 
> If you're following this series for the plot-free road trip affection ... this is it. My plans for Part 5 are to get into some of the more serious parts of the story, because the last love language is Physical Touch and I came away from the game feeling like everybody needed 500% more hugs than they received considering everything that went down. I haven't written any of it yet [update: it's done!], but I anticipate it will include more than a little misery along with the usual sweetness, so ... be warned. (I will however be going nowhere near the World of Ruin - I just don't have the constitution for it.)
> 
> As always, if you want to stay updated or just come talk to me, you can find me over on tumblr [@carolyncaves](https://carolyncaves.tumblr.com/).


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